Lt. Hartman named 'Officer of the Year'

Published 8:23 am, Tuesday, April 10, 2012

WILTON -- Officer David Hartman received the Wilton Police Department's highest honor at the 10th annual awards ceremony on Monday night. He was named Police Officer of the Year.

"He is a highly productive patrol officer who volunteers for all assignments as they become available. He has taken little sick time and is always proactive in his approach in law enforcement," said Police Chief Michael Lombardo.

Hartman, a 13-year veteran of the department, is a Wilton native. He graduated from Marist College in 1998 and joined the force the following year.

The Police Officer of the Year award does not celebrate Hartman for a single incident, however, according police officials. Instead, it embodies his year-long dedication to the Wilton Police Department, they said. The award was established in honor of fallen officer, Jack VanDeusen, a 15-year veteran, who died unexpectedly in 2003.

Lt. Donald Wakeman received a Letter of Recognition on Monday evening, an award issued to any member who has performed above and beyond the normal call of duty.

Wakeman also received the Meritorious Police Service Award in 2011, for leading an investigation of $90,000 of stolen checks that led to an arrest.

"This is a Wilton tradition," said First Selectman Bill Brennan. "It recognizes our police officers who are on duty 24-7 and often are faced with challenging events where they have to make split-second decisions."

"Occasionally, you hear citizens, who are not that informed say, 'Why do we need all of these police officers? We have too many firemen.' We didn't have too many firemen or policemen when we have emergencies in this town. We had two big ones recently, the October storm and Hurricane Irene. We were overwhelmed and needed every police officer, fireman and DPW (Department of Public Works) employee we had," said Brennan.

Lombardo added, "I want to thank the fire department for all the calls they go on as first responders. I've been here 31 years and I've seen other communities where the police and fire departments do not have the working relationship that we have with our fire department ... There's a lot that goes on behind the scenes where they work together jointly and cooperatively."